7 Pollinators to Help your Garden Grow

Let’s talk about the birds and the bees, literally and metaphorically. In addition to bees, six other things contribute to spreading pollen among plants, each designed for a specific action.

For a flower to reproduce, the pollen must move from the male reproductive structure (anther) to the female reproductive structure (stigma). Since many plants need help with this process, they have developed ways to attract helpers. Most use color in the form of flowers, but others lure pollinators with scent or pollen weight.

1. Bees

Photo courtesy of Trubeehoney.com

Brightly colored flowers possessing a delicate sweet scent beckon bees, with yellow and blue being their favorite hues. Like most insects, bees can’t distinguish red. Tube-shaped flowers with nectar at their base or flowers with an elongated lower petal providing a landing platform also attract bees. Wiggling down the tube in pursuit of nectar, they pick up pollen, which disperses to the next flowers they visit.